Festivals In Delhi

Any average day feels like a festival in Delhi. Like any festival, the city is chaotic. It’s loud. And you’re very likely to get stuck in traffic. But during actual festivals, like the holi celebration in Delhi or any popular food festival in Delhi, the city puts on its best dress to charm you. And festivals in Delhi are plentiful. Almost all parts of the year, you’ll find a reason to step out and dive deep into the celebrations. Even if your residence already has the energy and excitement of a festival, with super cool events and lip-smacking food. Like one of the Stanza Living residences in Delhi. That’s okay, we won’t get jealous if you ditch us to spend time soaking up the city’s festival culture. In fact, we encourage it. Why else would we put together this list of the top festivals in Delhi for you? So go out and celebrate your heart out. We’ll have light and healthy food ready for you the next day (after a night of heavy eating, you’ll need it).

Top Festivals in Delhi

10 festivals in Delhi are:

• Diwali
• Eid
• Holi
• Navratri
• Dussehra
• Durga Puja
• Guru Nanak Jayanti
• Lohri
• Independence Day
• Republic Day

Looking for a place that always lets you live in a festive mood? Check out our residences in Delhi!

Diwali

Diwali is the grandest festival celebrated in Delhi. Every year around October or November, the city is adorned with a gazillion earthen lamps. With rangolis. And with shopping markets popping up everywhere like the renowned Dilli Haat INA Diwali Bazaar. The temperature also drops significantly around this time. Interesting, no, that on the festival which celebrates the return of Lord Ram, is also marked with the first appearance of the lovely Delhi winters?

Eid

Eid comes around twice a year, as Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha. And the best place to visit in Delhi during Eid – on both occasions – would be Jama Masjid. Actually, the whole of Purani Dilli. You and your roomies could go for a gargantuan feast in Chawri Bazar for only 100 bucks (no kidding!).

Holi

Let’s just say, holi in Delhi is really, we mean, REALLY exciting. You can visit one of the major organised Holi parties like the Holy Moo festival. Or just find some company in your corner of the city. Either way, there’ll be lots of colour. And – maybe even more importantly – plates upon plates of gujiya.

Navratri

If you google “delhi famous festival”, Navratri is likely to pop up at the top. During the nine days of the festival, a different form of Goddess Durga is worshipped on each day. Moreover, the Gujarati community hosts dandiya (dancing with decorated wooden sticks) programs throughout the city. It’s a really fun thing to do with your partner. But if you have butterfingers, then kindly stay away. From the dance floor and not from your partner. Obviously.

Dussehra

If you ask any dilliwala about festivals, they’ll probably talk a lot about dussehra in Delhi. It is celebrated on the tenth day of Navratri. On this day, effigies of the ten-faced demon ‘Ravana’ and his demon brothers are burnt to signify victory of good over evil. But since the pandemic isn’t over yet, be sure to wear a mask on your face when you go out. And don’t complain, coz you’ve only got one face to deal with (unlike Ravana).

Durga Puja

If you want to go pandal-hopping during Durga Puja, CR Park has a lot of those. Also, after you’re all tired and hungry, have a rich Bengali thali in one of the eateries there. It’s called ‘mini Bengal’ for a reason, you know. And if your roommate cribs too much about the spice, just shove a Rasogolla into their mouth, cool?

Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. It’s one of the festivals where you don’t have to worry about any noise or the usual commotion. But instead, you can visit a Gurdwara like the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in Connaught Place. We promise you, it’ll be your first ‘birthday celebration’ with peace and quiet.

Lohri

Lohri is a Punjabi harvest festival celebrated on the longest day of winter. It is celebrated by dancing around a bonfire. And by throwing sesame seeds or ground nuts in it. But you might have already done this on your camping trips, haven’t you? But without the loud music (we hope).

Independence Day

Independence Day is celebrated to mark India’s freedom from British rule. You can often see hordes of bikers with the national flag speeding across the city on Independence Day. If the movie ‘Fast and Furious’ was ever shot in India, it’ll probably look like this. Coz brown parents will let you do anything as long as it’s during a festival or when you’re being patriotic. Duh!

Republic Day

Republic Day is the most famous festival in Delhi. It’s popular for its grand parade organised in Rajpath. The parade is performed by the Indian armed forces and followed by a themed tableau made by each state. So if you’re a migrant living in Delhi, you can root for your state tableau to win. And then rub it on your flatmate’s face if you do.

FAQs on Top Festivals in Delhi